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Nala
Nala is the deuteragonist of Disney's 1994 animated film The Lion King. She is the lifelong best friend of Simba and later would become his queen. Upon entering adulthood, she would have two cubs with him; Kiara and Kion. Background Nala's main animators were Bob Bryan and Gilda Palinginia and her supervising animators were Aaron Blaise (cub) and Anthony de Rosa (adult). During early production, Nala was given a younger brother named Mheetu. He is mentioned in the book The Art of The Lion King where he is referred to as "Mee-Too". He was designed by Thom Enriquez. In an earlier draft of the film, there was to be a scene where Scar felt that to be a beloved ruler and continue his monarchical legacy, he will need a queen to ensure that children will be born. Just then, Nala arrived to complain about the Pride Lands' wasteland appeal. Scar then demands Nala to be his queen, which she refuses. He then summons the hyenas and banishes her as punishment for rejecting him. This scene is largely included in the musical version, minus Scar banishing Nala. Personality As a child, Nala is known to be sassy, being defensive of her own accomplishments and giving her best friend cheek when prompted. Though Simba sometimes tries to claim her ideas as his own, Nala will not stand for being overlooked and is clever and strong enough to do something about it. Despite this, Nala is an encouraging friend, kind to Simba even when he makes an error, no matter what he says or does, she maintains the friendship, grieving heavily when he supposedly dies. Once adulthood came, Nala grown more mature, practically built on persistence and responsibility. Scar's poor reign has made her realize the importance of accountability, as she has seen firsthand what Simba's lack of interest in the Pride Lands has caused. She often tries to speak sense to Simba, standing as his voice of reason, firm, and resolute in her beliefs with a cutting edge to her argument. Nala is not one to be stamped down with words, as she can hold her own in a verbal battle, parrying each of Simba's defenses with offenses of her own. No amount of yelling and accusations can beat down Nala. Nala was the lioness who brought Simba back to Pride Rock, to save them from Scar's tyranny. She is also encouraging and complimentary of her daughter and son, Kiara and Kion, and mate, Simba. Once Nala becomes a queen, she grows much more reserved and wise, no longer as spunky as she used to be. Unlike Simba, she is very relaxed in her dealings with Kiara, trusting her daughter to take care of herself. Her gentle words and sound advice serve as a softener to Simba's hard edge. Nala is able to see past Kovu's rough exterior to the hero who is longing to claw out, and she is not one to judge him for his past. She supports Simba in his decisions, always standing by his side no matter what the consequences. Nala is also supportive of Kion, as unlike Simba at first, Nala knew that her son was ready to take on responsibilities as the leader of the Lion Guard. Trivia *Her name is of Tanzanian origin, meaning "luck" and in African, means "successful". *In an earlier draft, Nala was supposed to be banished from Pride Rock after she rejected Scar's proposal to be his queen. However, this is incorporated into the Broadway play The Lion King instead. *Originally, Nala had a younger brother named Mheetu, but his character was dropped because of time constraints. *Nala's fur seems to be brighter in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride than it was in the previous film. *Although she is the deuteragonist, Nala has little screen time, as a majority of the film focuses on Simba's scenes with either Mufasa, Timon, or Pumbaa. Category:Characters Category:Females Category:Queens Category:The Lion King Category:The Lion King characters Category:Traditionally animated characters Category:Lions Category:Animals Category:Blue Eyes Category:African Category:Disney characters Category:Unofficial Disney Princesses